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Well dearie there has been some terrible fighting in the bloody Ypres salient this past week. on June the 2nd the Huns after a terrific bombardment lasting over two hours, and in which they nearly obliterated the trenches held by the 1st and 4th Battalions of our brigade and another battalion besides. They then stormed the trenches in mass, those of our fellows who escaped the terrible shelling fought with desperate bravery against heavy odds but were practically surrounded and either taken prisoners or killed very few escaped and practically all the officers died fighting one of whome was my old friend Crossman who used to be in our squadron of the B.C.H. they say he fought like a regular devil to the last one of our Padres was also killed fighting with a rifle and bayonet to the end. he was a splendid fellow and we were all very sorry to lose him, but he died like a hero. Our battalion and the 5th C.M.R. were rushed up along with the other battalions to hold the new line taken up and retake the old one. The fifth had went in a few hours previous and by the time the two companies from our battalion got to them they suffered heavily. My company and B. company commanded by a subaltern by that time got in about 9. P.M. to the line held by the 5th C.M.R.. the shelling all the time was terrific and all heavy high explosive the trench we now occupied along with the fifth was fairly good and the parapet was very thick and unless one of those heavy shells hit it square (which they did sometimes) or landed in one of the bays we were safe from frontal fire but there was practically no parados or back wall to save us from shells dropping behind and the mud was a foot or more deep in places in the trench. I was then ordered to take up a position in advance of the trench we were in, with my company and half of the other, we had picks and shovels with us and were to dig ourselves in there, well we had just nicely got started when Fritzie spotted us and started to shell us seeing we could not stop there under that pitiless fire with no shelter whatever I ordered the men to fall back to the trench which they did with the utmost coolness and no confusion whatever bringing our dead and wounded with us one of my officers though badly wounded showed great pluck one of my sergeants and myself were packing him in and he insisted that we should leave him and take in others worse than he, but we eventually got them all in to the trench. The men deserve the greatest of praise especially the medical orderlies and stretcher bearer's who did splendid work For nearly thirty six hours we were in that trench before being relieved, and during that time that terrible hail of shells never ceased for more than one hour at any one time and that very seldom it was simply hellish the noise was deafening and that trench fairly shook under the terrific explosions of those heavy shells. during that time all we had to eat was bully beef and hard tack and little or no water a little after day break on the morning of the third another Canadian battalion tried to retake a trench held by the Huns immediately on our left they charged with great steadiness and it looked magnificent but their lines were terrible thinned by the pitiless German shells and machine guns but the took the trench allright and held it till night fall but were then driven out what was left of them. but was immediately retaken and held by another battalion where over it came to hand to hand fighting it was of the fiercest kind. the Canadians took no prisoners for when the Huns first came over they bayoneted some of the wounded and a doctor who was attending them. regular fiends some of them are. Well God knows our losses were very heavy but the trenches and woods since retaken by us are filled with German dead. The artillery supporting us did splendid and mowed down the Huns by the hundred. This is called the third battle of Ypres so far it has eclipsed all others fought in this salient and is still going on I believe. Major Allen was slightly wounded I believe and out of four officers including my self and one hundred and fifty men who went into action with me of my company only one officer and that was my self, and about sixty men followed me out we got out all our wounded as well. It was sure some bombardment and I do not want to go through the same experience again for a little while its damned hard on the nerves you bet. I would ten times sooner go at those devils with the bayonet there is more satisfaction in it. Well we are away back from the firing line now trying to rest up and reorganize our old brigade again and I expect it will take some weeks. It is a very beautiful country around here, so peaceful and quiet, this is the first we have been out of the sound of guns for nine months and its quite a treat you bet Well dearie this is a pretty long letter so I had better close now as I have one or two others to write, Do not worry about me I will come out O.K. you bet Take good care of your self and don't work too hard thank for the lock of little Tommy hair its so nice. I am pleased he is such a smart little fellow. May God Bless you both With best of Love and Kisses to you both

Your loving Hubby
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